November 21, 2007

US takes pressure off on Canadian meat exports

Canadian meat and poultry exports subjected to strict testing by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) will no longer have to be held until they test negative for three food-borne pathogens, the department said Tuesday (November 20).

USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) earlier declared it would double testing of Canadian meat -- including pork and poultry -- for E. coli 0157:H7, salmonella and listeria monocytogenes.

The extra meat tests came after an E.coli outbreak in several states was traced to beef from a Canadian company earlier this year. FSIS began the increased testing on November 9.

As part of their stepped-up check on Canadian meat imports, US officials also have moved forward with an audit of the country's food safety system that has focused on plants which export beef to the United States.

FSIS spokeswoman Amanda Eamich said they held requirements for the products but all other measures have remained in place.

She said the decision was made based on preliminary data we have (from the audit) as well as the first week or so of increased testing. However, Eamich withheld information from the audit and had no timetable as to when it would be completed.

Alberta-based Ranchers Beef, which closed for unrelated reasons, is believed to be the source of the multi-state outbreak of E. coli infections linked to the US-based Topps Meat Co in September.

The recall of 21.7 million pounds (9.8 million kg) of ground beef was the fifth-largest meat or poultry recall in US history and led to nearly 100 illnesses in the two countries. Topps Meat has already shut down.

In 2006, Canada shipped 303,000 tonnes of beef, worth C$1.1 billion (US$1.2 billion), and 363,000 tonnes of pork, worth C$1.032 billion, to the United States, its biggest export market.